Clinician Innovation Day Kicks Off Commercialization and Economic Development Initiative at UK Hospital
Editor's note: Dean Harvey was interviewed for an article that ran on GenomeWeb.com and the story was featured as a headline on The Association of University Technology Manager's (AUTM) Web site.
Contact: Deb Weis (859) 257-8296
Dean Harvey (859) 257-1930
Executive Director,
Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship
LEXINGTON, Kentucky, July 31, 2009 − University of Kentucky HealthCare clinicians can now turn their ideas into products thanks to a new commercialization initiative that will be unveiled August 4 during the 1st Annual Clinician Innovation Day. The morning workshop will also feature keynote speaker Dr. Thomas J. Fogarty, inventor of the world’s first balloon catheter that revolutionized vascular surgery overnight, and UK President Lee T. Todd Jr., founder of two technology companies, one of which was sold to IBM.
“I’m honored to speak to our clinicians not only as UK president, but also as a faculty entrepreneur,” said Todd. “This commercialization program creates a unique opportunity for our clinicians to make a direct impact on patient care and be involved in the development of their medical device or diagnostic without a substantial investment of their time or resources.”
A privately funded company to be named Therix Medical with an experienced business team will be established to work with the clinicians to develop their concepts, including prototype development, regulatory assessment, financial modeling, and intellectual property protection. The company will be responsible for launching the resulting product into the marketplace through licensing to industry or creating a start-up company.
“We’re pleased that one of the Gill Heart Institute’s cardiologists Dr. John Gurley helped develop this cutting edge program,” said Michael Karpf, M.D., executive vice president for health affairs. “At the UK Chandler Hospital alone there are more than 550 clinical faculty, 500 interns/residents/fellows, 425 medical students and several hundred nurses and technicians, each potentially with an idea that would solve a clinical problem and make a difference in treating patients.”
“The University of Kentucky is one of a very few academic institutions to put a specialized commercialization program together for clinicians,” said UK Commercialization & Economic Development Vice President Len Heller. “This fits with our unique marketing position as one of the few universities in the country with both a complete medical center and all colleges including agriculture, pharmacy and engineering on one central campus.”
“Every day our clinicians have ideas that can help patients,” said Gurley. “Now we’re going to have a team of engineers and business people we can work with to develop our ideas into useful products.”
Dean Harvey, Executive Director of the Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship, part of the UK Office for Commercialization & Economic Development, developed the Clinician Innovation / Therix Medical initiative with Dr. Gurley. The 1st Annual Clinician Innovation Day, Room 014 in the Wethington Building from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m, is CME and ACPE accredited.